


Breaking Boundaries (literally) and Making Breakfast

by Popscribbles



Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: M/M, Multi, fr tho i LOVE darnold and theres not enough content for him!!!!, gman is here but like. briefly, hi so uhm... theyre all just gamers in love !, i think he should be kissed. A lot!, just here supporting his son AND his sons boyfriends... go grandpa!, so he gets THREE boyfriends! perfect for smooching!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25965004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popscribbles/pseuds/Popscribbles
Summary: One restless night, Gordon reminisces on how kind and helpful Darnold had been back in Black Mesa, and wonders if he's doing alright.Or in other words, Darnold finally joins the gang in living a normal life, and can't stop himself from falling for his new roommates as they express nothing but kindness to him.(Technically a sequel to "Some Sunny Day"!)
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Benrey/Tommy Coolatta, Tommy Coolatta/Darnold, Tommy Coolatta/Gordon Freeman, benrey/darnold, benrey/tommy coolatta/gordon freeman/darnold, gordon freeman/darnold
Comments: 12
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

It’s a quiet evening in the home of Gordon Freeman, his son having been put to bed as Benrey’s sweet voice lulled him to sleep. 

Tommy had stood in the doorway, a soft smile on his face as he and Gordon watched Benrey gently pull the covers over Joshua and make his way out of the door. Sunkist, at the foot of Joshua’s bed, gives a soft _‘boof’_ as goodbye. Gordon shot Benrey a thankful grin as he passed by, to which he responded with a few light pink orbs of sweet voice. The trio quietly shut the door and walked down the hall to their own bedroom. 

Gordon’s bed was pretty large, and the three of them fit perfectly when they slept on it. Hell, it probably had enough space for an extra person if needed. But it was perfect for them, and the highlight of most evenings was slipping under the covers to pull each other close as they drifted off.

But tonight, Gordon couldn’t get himself to fall asleep. He would’ve asked Benrey to use the sweet voice, but they had already fallen asleep against him. Thoughts bounced around in his head as he stared up at the ceiling, struggling to slip into unconsciousness. 

It wasn’t uncommon for him to think back to his time in Black Mesa, especially in the dead of night, when he was the only one awake. His mind wandered back to the few individuals outside of the science team that he’d met. The folks in the lambda labs, the security guards that somehow managed to _not_ get shot by his trigger-happy friends, Forzen… Though, there was one person in particular that caught his attention. 

Darnold.

Darnold was different in comparison to the other scientists he’d met in the facility. Gordon knew that in the context of the _game,_ Darnold was essential in giving him an alternative to his right hand. He understood that the mixologist would reasonably have more personality than the others. 

But he felt _real,_ in the same way that the science team was, the same way _Gordon_ was. Even if Darnold probably wasn’t aware of their reality, it was obvious to Gordon that the man had _aspirations,_ he had _dreams,_ and they deserved to come to light. 

So where was he?

The last he’d seen of Darnold was when they were leaving the mixology department, after the man had panicked and decided to part ways. It always made Gordon feel bad, with how quickly Darnold had gotten overwhelmed by the noise and violence. Getting thrown out of your comfort zone was something he was familiar with, so he understood where the mixologist was coming from. Truthfully, he was also a little disappointed that Darnold didn’t tag along with them. In the short time he knew the man, Darnold had helped him more than the other scientists the team had met. He also seemed to be a relatively normal person, which brought Gordon a lot of comfort in the moment. 

But he hadn’t seen Darnold since Black Mesa. Had the player forgotten to bring him? Was Darnold even _in_ the same, new world that they were? He hoped he was alright, wherever he was. The thought that the mixologist was still in Black Mesa made his stomach twist and turn in anxiety. 

Gordon hadn’t realized he was balling his fist until he felt another hand on top of his, gentle and comforting. He looked to the side to see Tommy staring back at him, gaze laced with concern as he rubbed his thumb against the back of Gordon’s hand.

“Are you… okay?” Tommy asks, softly. “You’ve been- you were… uh… clenching...” His face momentarily scrunches up at his own wording, before giving a slight smile.

Gordon let out a breathy laugh and leaned his head against Tommy’s chest. “Yeah, man. Just having trouble sleeping, y’know?” he feels Tommy nod his head in agreement. “Thinking about… stuff, I guess.”

“What kind of stuff?”

Gordon tilts his head upward. “Do you remember Darnold?” He asks.

“Mhm…” Tommy hums in response, “He made the powerade and- and gave you a new hand…” he pauses for a moment, before wrapping his arms around Gordon and nuzzling closer to him. “...he was really nice.”

Gordon can’t help but grin at the other man, and turned a bit to kiss him on the cheek. “Yeah, he was.” he says as Tommy let out a content sigh at his affection. “Do you think he’s, like… here? Like, do you think he’s out of Black Mesa?”

Tommy remains quiet for a second as he thinks. “...No. But- but I… I want him to be…” he speaks up quietly. “I want to… to bring him here. Somehow, if… if that’s okay...”

Gordon nods in agreement. “Yeah, I’d… like that. I think he deserves to live life, y’know? He seemed pretty chill.”

He feels Tommy’s embrace around him tighten. “...Yeah!”

They lay like that for a while, holding each other and basking in the comfort. Eventually, Gordon feels himself drifting off, eyes shutting as he listens to the sound of Tommy’s heartbeat. Tommy falls into slumber not long after, to the sound of Gordon’s soft snores.

* * *

When Tommy dreams, he usually has the typical nonsensical ones. Where he’s in his house one moment and in the grocery store the next, where he can step into his car and suddenly he’s in the seat of a plane, where he opens his fridge and it’s nothing but inky darkness inside.

However, on occasion, Tommy can manipulate his dreams to his heart’s content. It’s a rarity for him; he doesn’t really enjoy nudging the fabric of reality, even if it’s his dreams. But if need be, he will use his abilities to do what he desires. And currently, he desired a chat with his father.

Even in his dreams, he could feel the world around him slow to a stop as his father’s presence tore through the area. The way sound warbled and zipped away, leaving the world in utter silence. Tommy heard a faint ‘ _zwoop’_ from behind him, and as he turned to face it, the scenery shifted to a dark void, where the only things in sight were himself, the white lines zooming past him, and the Gman. 

“Hello… Tommy…” The Gman said, still looking as formal as ever. “It’s not often that you… Contact me in such a way. I assume that you and your partners, are, doing well, hm?”

“Um, yeah… We’re doing okay.” Tommy responds.

“And, Sunkist as well?”

“Y-Yeah, she’s doing good, dad.”

Gman hums, content. “That is, wonderful, to hear. Now…” he adjusts his tie and his gaze softens a little as he meets Tommy’s eyes, “What was it, exactly… that you needed me for?”

Tommy takes a few steps forward, twiddling his thumbs as he thought about his wording. “Well, I, um… uh…” he paused for a moment and took a breath before continuing, “We met someone back- back in Black Mesa, and… want to bring him here. To, um, live with- uh… us.”

He notices a certain glint in his father’s eyes and the faintest smile gracing his features as his eyebrows raise ever so slightly. It causes Tommy’s ears to burn in embarrassment, he _knew_ he wasn’t very subtle when it came to these kinds of things. His father chuckles softly and tilts his head a little. 

“What is… the name of this, individual?”

“U-Um… Darnold.” Tommy mumbles, a hand moving to rub the back of his neck. “He wuh- He was in the mixology department! He gave Gordon his- his arm! The, uh… gun one!”

The Gman nods, momentarily considering something, before lifting his head up and smiling at Tommy. “I will… see what I can, do, to… retrieve Doctor… Pepper.”

Tommy smiles back, making a mental note of the fact that Darnolds last name was _‘Pepper’._ “Thuh- Thank you, dad!” He doesn’t hesitate to pull his dad into a hug, to which his father responds with a pat on his back. To most it probably would have been awkward and a little strange, but Tommy was aware of his father’s lack of experience in the “physical affection” department. He didn’t mind it; a hug wasn’t necessary for him to know that he cared.

When he pulled from the embrace, his father took a step back and straightened out his posture. “I’ll be in touch, Tommy… Take, care, will you?”

When Tommy nods in response, the Gman nods back, adjusts his tie, and turns to walk away. He stops when the pure white door opens up for him. He takes a few steps forward, and the door blips out of existence as he passes through it, leaving Tommy alone in the void. 

And then he wakes up.


	2. Chapter 2

The Gman had sent out a message.

**“The presence of Dr. Darnold Pepper is needed.”**

It was simple, yet effective. It got the point across fairly well, without wasting time on too many words. After all, if this matter was important to his son, then it was important to him.

The response wasn’t immediate, not that he was expecting it to be. The Player had a life, after all, and mostly minded their own business. And Gman wasn’t in any particular rush. 

When he did receive a response, however, he found himself in the void momentarily, as a force compelled him towards the empty hallways of Black Mesa. No-Clipping wasn’t unfamiliar to him as an eldritch entity, but he still popped his neck after he phased through the wall and landed on firm ground.

The wide-open doorway that stood before him revealed the familiar sight of the Mixology Lab, though the last he saw it was when the Cybernetics Department was still set up. He gazed around the room, amused at all the beakers and barrels scattered about, and the bullet holes in the wall told him that,  _ yes, _ this was definitely where Dr. Freeman had gotten the minigun. He walked over to the elevator, carefully stepping over an empty carton of milk- or was it bleach? He didn’t really care. Gazing up the elevator shaft, he saw none other than Dr. Darnold Pepper, hovering in the air. 

The Gman chuckled quietly. Seeing someone frozen in time was nothing new to him, but it was still a little amusing to see humans in such interesting predicaments. As the elevator ascended, the Gman could see a conflicted look on the mixologist’s face. Whatever had been happening when time froze for him must have made him unsure about  _ something,  _ and if Gman remembered correctly, it was something pertaining to the dead soldiers in the hallway.

Disregarding the look, the Gman put a hand on Darnold’s shoulder, and gave it a firm squeeze. In an instant, the two of them were pulled from Black Mesa and put back into the void. Darnold was no longer frozen, but went limp against the Gman’s shoulder as he slipped into unconsciousness. He had no doubt that this experience was… disorienting, to say the least. Their speedy trip through the void slowed to a halt as the feeling of re-entering the non-game world overtook their senses. 

When all had settled, Gman found himself standing on Gordon Freeman’s doorstep, Darnold slumped against his side. The Gman cleared his throat and reached out to ring the doorbell. Manners, after all, were something he must uphold.

It took only a moment for Gordon to open the door, and when he did, his face shifted to one of surprise, to confusion, and then  _ shock.  _ His mouth hung agape as he seemingly struggled to find the right words, eventually shouting out the only thing he could muster.

“What the FUCK.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter! The next one will be lengthier and we'll finally get Dr. Pepper to say things! :]


	3. Chapter 3

Darnold’s eyes fluttered open, and he registered three things as he slowly regained his consciousness.

One: He had just woken up from being asleep, which was odd, because he doesn’t remember passing out.

Two: He was not wearing his lab coat. Or his tie, for that matter. Instead, there was a soft blanket draped over him, which he had to admit was much cozier than the standard Black Mesa uniform.

Three: Someone was making french toast.

That last thought seemed to confuse him more than the other two did. To his knowledge, there weren’t any chefs in Black Mesa, and if they were, they were most  _ definitely _ nowhere near his department. Sitting up and glancing around the room only furthered his confusion. This was definitely a living room, but not one from any of the Black Mesa dorms. It was much more spacious and home-like, with a nice rug on the floor and blurry picture frames on the walls. In fact, if he squinted, one of the figures in the photo kind of looked like-

“Darnold!”

Darnold’s gaze snapped to where his name had been called out, and he met eyes with Gordon Freeman, who was staring back at him with relief and surprise. 

“I- Dr. Freeman?” comes the confused response. His eyes immediately flicker to Gordon’s right arm, which was  _ definitely  _ not the minigun from before. There was an actual  _ hand _ there, or at least what appeared to be one, with a discolored scar around the wrist. “What… What happened?”

Gordon walks over to him, and only then does Darnold notice that the man is holding a glass of water in his other hand, reaching out to hand it to him. Darnold takes it, graciously, and doesn’t hesitate chugging the whole cup. He pretends not to hear Gordon chuckling quietly at how fast he’s drinking.

“You kinda got stuck in Black Mesa for… months, dude.” Gordon says while Darnold catches his breath, “According to Tommy’s dad, you were just, like, hovering in midair. For months.”

That causes Darnold to pause, considering the statement.  _ Months? _ His common sense told him  _ that can’t be right, he  _ **_just_ ** _ saw the science team leave his lab… right? _ His brows knitted together as he thought. To his knowledge,  _ yes,  _ the science team just left his lab after he went up the elevator shaft. But at the same time, that didn’t feel  _ right. _ Because for _ some reason,  _ he felt like it was reasonable to say that months had passed. 

“Months?”

Gordon tugs at his ponytail. “Yeah, man… Apparently you weren’t brought over from the game when we were, so… you were just kinda frozen there.”

Game. Game, game,  _ game. _ Something about that word suddenly fills Darnold with all the information he’ll ever need. The final piece of a puzzle he didn’t know needed solving. Things that didn’t make sense to him before suddenly  _ do, _ and he’s filled with a sense of calm.

Instead of asking, or pushing for more information, he simply responded with “Huh. Alright.”

“Wait- really? You’re not gonna get, like, existential about it?” Gordon questions, surprised at the quick acceptance. 

Darnold shrugs. “I mean, it kind of makes sense. With what was going on in Black Mesa, it all just kind of comes together.”

Gordon makes a hum of acknowledgement, standing up and walking over to the doorway of what Darnold assumes is the kitchen. He says something that Darnold can’t quite catch, but before he can ask what’s going on, there’s a hand on his knee and two figures at his side.

He yelps quietly in surprise, turning to see- is that Benrey? The man looked much different without his guard uniform, instead sporting what appeared to be a walmart-brand gamer t-shirt and shorts, which was oddly fitting. He still had the helmet, though strands of hair were poking out from underneath it. 

But Benrey wasn’t close enough to touch him, so Darnold’s gaze went down to the hand on his knee, which looked awfully small, now that he thought about it, and as he looked to who it belonged to, he realized it was a  _ child.  _ A young boy, who couldn’t be much older than 4 or 5 years old, and looked strikingly similar to Gordon. He opened his mouth to say something, but the kid beat him to it.

“Hi!” comes the loud, cheerful exclamation from the child. 

“yo.” Benrey chimes in, offering a small wave to Darnold. 

Darnold blinks at them both, before responding with a “...Hello.”

“You’re awake!” The kid says excitedly, patting Darnold’s leg. Benrey leans over and picks the boy up with both hands, lifting him away from Darnold as he waved wildly in his arms. 

“yo lil man, this is a pvp free zone. cant uh… cant go attacking people. Not a pro gamer move.”

The kid responds by sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry, to which Benrey mimics back at him. Darnold can’t help but giggle quietly. He's always had a soft spot for kids, and watching the two playfully interact made him grin.

“Benny!! Benny!! Present!!!” The kid exclaims, “Give him the present!!!”

Darnold quirks an eyebrow and looks up at Benrey, who sets the child down and looks to the side, seemingly a little embarrassed. He leans over and grabs something from beside the couch, rectangular and colorful. It’s… wrapped with construction paper and tape, just barely concealing what the gift was. He holds it out, avoiding the other man’s eyes. 

“‘s for you.”

Darnold takes it carefully, and has no trouble pulling the paper off, which reveals a laptop. It’s sleek and new, nothing like his old, clunky one. He gapes at it, unsure of what to say. This was  _ certainly _ unexpected.

“‘cause i like. i made the other one super sucks. unepic of me, bro.”

Darnold can’t keep the grin off of his face, looking up from the laptop to meet Benrey’s eyes. “Thank you, Benrey. This means a lot to me.”

Benrey seems caught off guard by the reply, face flushing slightly as he waves off a few light pink orbs of sweet voice that leave his lips. 

“yeah, uh, no biggie.”

Footsteps draw the trio’s attention, as Gordon and Tommy enter the room, both holding plates of fresh french toast. The young boy perks up and rushes over to Gordon, jumping excitedly as he sets the plate on the coffee table. 

“Alright, Joshua, Alright… eat up.” Gordon says as the kid, who Darnold now knows as “Joshua,” begins scarfing down the plate of breakfast. Gordon snaps his fingers a couple times as he sets down his own plate. “Hey- Hey! Slow down a little, Joshie!”

Tommy sets down a few more plates and takes a seat next to Darnold, smiling at him. “Hi, Darnold!”

“Hello, Tommy.” He replies, smiling back at him. He eyes the plate that was set in front of him, a little surprised. “...This for me?”

“Mmhm!” The taller man responds with an enthusiastic nod, reaching to the middle of the table to grab a shaker full of powdered sugar. “I- I hope that’s okay for… for you!” He shakes some of the sugar onto his plate, covering his french toast lightly.

Darnold feels heat rising to his cheeks, and he bashfully looks towards his plate. “That’s- That’s really nice of you, thank you!”

Tommy just smiles at him and starts eating his food, only to stop momentarily and set his fork down. He leans back a bit and tilts his head up a little, whistling twice. 

“Suh- Sunkist! Breakfast!”

There’s a pitter-patter of paws against the hardwood floor, growing louder in volume as the large dog trots into the living room. She spots Darnold and lets out a happy bark, tail wagging excitedly as she sits next to him. The man hesitantly puts his hand to her fur and  _ oh, that’s incredibly soft. _ His breakfast is momentarily forgotten as he scratches behind Sunkist’s ears, petting her in awe.

Gordon chuckles from where he’s sitting. “Super soft, right? I pretty much reacted the same way when I first pet her.” 

“I can’t believe it… she’s the softest thing I’ve ever touched?” Darnold turns to Tommy.  _ “This  _ is the dog you were telling me about? She’s incredible!”

Tommy can’t hide the blush that creeps onto his face, simply nodding and trying to distract himself with his food. Gordon tilts his head and ponders for a moment, then turning to Darnold quizzically. 

“Wait, did you two talk about Sunkist in the mixology lab? I don’t remember that happening.”

Darnold shakes his head. “No, we met very briefly once before. Back before the resonance cascade.” Finally returning his attention to his breakfast, he pours a bit of syrup onto it as he explains, “In one of the break rooms. I was bringing some soda to refill the vending machines, so while that was going on, Tommy and I started to chit-chat.” 

“Ohh, alright. That makes sense.” Gordon nods. “You say you were bringing the soda; were you carrying, like, boxes of them? Through Black Mesa?”

The mixologist pauses before nodding. “...Yeah? Like, three boxes I think.”

Gordon’s eyebrows raised in awe. “Holy sh- crap?” he catches himself as he remembers Joshua’s presence, “Dude, that’s… a LOT of cans?? How strong  _ are _ you?”

Darnold blinks and rolls up his sleeve, flexing his arm to reveal a good bit of muscle. “Uh… Strong enough to carry three boxes full of soda? And a barrel full of potions, I guess?” He shrugs. “It’s not really something I focused too much on, but I guess I just picked up some strength during all my potion making.”

He then notices how the other three were staring at his arm, each in their own display of awe- except for Joshua, who had finished his breakfast and walked off with Sunkist. Tommy’s face was a light shade of pink, as he held his fork in his hand, unmoving. Gordon was looking at it with his mouth agape, a twinkle in his eye with just how  _ impressive _ it was. The two were snapped out of their gazes when Benrey’s voice caught their attention. Darnold turned to see Benrey staring with blown-out pupils, mouth releasing the same pink-colored orbs from earlier. Benrey blinked and widened his eyes, coughing a few times as he waved off the sweet voice, face burning. 

Now, Darnold was no expert, but he had a feeling that whatever just happened was  _ absolutely _ not straight. In fact, now that he thought about it, what  _ was _ the relationship between everyone here? They definitely seemed  _ much _ more comfortable with one another since the last time he’d seen them. And, now that he realized it, Tommy was wearing a shirt that was much larger than his size, probably more akin to what Gordon would wear. And with how Gordon and Benrey were just sitting next to one another, Benrey leaning against the other’s shoulder, you’d think they were a couple. 

…

_ Oh, they’re dating. _

The thought hits him like a brick. Not in a bad way- just unexpected. Though, looking around the room again, he notices the photos on the wall featuring the three of them in various locations, smiling at the camera with their arms around each other. There was one taken from behind Tommy and Benrey, who were on both sides of Joshua, holding his hands as the young boy stood in the middle. Darnold could only assume Gordon was holding the camera at the time, and  _ duh, _ of course someone would frame a picture of their partners spending quality time with their child. 

But he mentally shakes the thoughts away, returning to the present. He’d already forgotten what had happened, getting so focused on the honestly _adorable_ relationship these three had. It comes back to him when he looks back at the men around him, who seemed to be averting their gazes. _Oh, right._ _I flustered them._

He couldn’t help but feel a fluttering sensation in his stomach at that. Did they… like him? Like, romantically? He would’ve asked, but the growing silence in the room seemed borderline uncomfortable to the three, and he felt like asking them if they had feelings for him would only make that worse, so he said what any other reasonable person would say. 

“Hey, do you guys have any soda?” 

Tommy perked up at his voice. “Huh? Oh!” He quickly stands up and leans over to grab the now-empty plates off the table. “We- Uh- Yeah! We have all kindsa soda! I-It’s in our fridge if you- if you wanna drink some!” He looks a little nervous, but eager to change the subject and escape the awkwardness that had settled in the room, making his way to the kitchen.

Darnold smiles and nods. “That sounds great!” He stands up and stretches a bit, and Gordon almost immediately rises as well, though a little more rushed. His face is incredibly flushed as he brushes his legs off and hurriedly walks out of the room, mumbling something about how  _ “oh Joshua left, I should go check on him.” _

Benrey remains seated, looking up at Darnold with curious eyes. He makes no attempt to hide the blush on his face, the only thing slightly covering it being the hair that poked out from under the helmet, which makes the fluttering in Darnold’s gut just a little bit stronger. Benrey is honestly very pretty, in his opinion. He hasn’t really known him for long, but he wouldn’t be opposed to getting to know him better.  _ Along with the others, _ his mind adds.

Leaning down slightly and extending a hand out, Darnold offers to help Benrey up. Benrey eyes his hand for a moment, before carefully taking it and hoisting himself onto his feet. Their hands remain together for a brief moment, before both of them bashfully pull away. 

“You wanna, uh... Get some soda with Tommy and I?” Darnold asks, scratching the back of his neck.

Benrey fumbles with the ends of his sleeves. “...yeah, bro. that’d be epic and. uh. totally swag.”

The response gets a chuckle out of Darnold, and Benrey goes back to staring at him again, those eyes just so full of curiosity and  _ tenderness _ Darnold can’t help but blush at. He quickly takes Benrey’s hand in his own and pulls him along the direction Tommy had gone—the kitchen.

The taller man had just finished placing the empty plates in the dishwasher when the two entered through the doorway, and he turned to face them with a shy smile. Benrey unlinks his hand from Darnold’s, albeit a little hesitantly, and heads over to the fridge. Darnold follows behind him, standing next to Tommy as Benrey grabs one of the various cans in the fridge. He shows off the can with a grin. It’s… Mountain Dew Game Fuel. 

Now, Darnold has had many sodas in his life, and he knows  _ exactly  _ how caffeinated this energy drink is. Before he can say anything, Benrey opens the can and chugs it in one go. It takes all of Darnold’s willpower to not flinch, though he  _ does _ stare in awe. His jaw only drops further when Benrey  _ eats the can whole. _

He’s about to reach for another before Tommy smacks his hand away, clicking his tongue. “H-Hey! You know the- the rules!” The tall man’s hands are on his hips, face playfully stern. “Only one of those a day! You know... you remember what happened last time!”

“broooo nooo… i gotta get my gamer juice, man…” Benrey groans, instead reaching for something else that Darnold can’t see. He moves away from the fridge, sticking his tongue out at Tommy, who just grins back at him.

“Do- Do you want some Dr. Pepper?” Tommy asks as he leans into the fridge, rummaging through the numerous cases.

Darnold blinks for a second. “Do I want some of... what?” He sees Tommy stop for a second and lean back, looking at him with mild amusement. In the man’s hand is a red can that Darnold is incredibly familiar with, and he can’t help but let out a sudden laugh, facepalming. “Oh- You… You meant the drink. Yeah, I’ll take some.”

The smile on Tommy’s face only grows wider as he passes the can. He reaches for another and then closes the fridge, wasting no time opening the can to start sipping. Darnold eyes him for a moment, and then chuckles a little at how  _ gleeful _ he looks. 

“So, how long were you waiting to make  _ that _ joke?” He asks, nudging Tommy with his elbow as they ventured back to the living room. 

“The- The  _ whole _ time!” 

Darnold smiles at him. “It was a good one!” 

Before Tommy can thank him, he’s stopped by Gordon rushing past him, pressing himself against the wall. Sunkist comes bounding into the room, Joshua mounted on her back, a cowboy hat atop his head and a Nerf gun in his hand. He points it at Gordon, who stares up at him in defeat, out of breath.

“Cowboys!” Joshua says cheerfully, pulling the trigger and letting a foam bullet hit Gordon in the shoulder.

The other three in the room were trying—and failing—to not laugh. At least, Tommy and Darnold were, while Benrey was cackling to himself, grinning from ear to ear. Gordon rubs the spot where he’d been shot, holding up his other hand in surrender.

“Okay! Okay. You got me, Josh. You win Cowboys.” There’s a look on his face that Darnold can’t quite decipher, somewhere between acceptance and absolute pain. He groans out the next question reluctantly. “...What movie do you wanna watch?”

“Daddy! I wanna watch Doogal! Put on Doogal!”

Gordon puts his head in his hands. “Okay. You can watch Doogal, you- Yeah.”

The young boy cheers loudly, and Sunkist lets out a happy bark alongside it. Everyone settles onto the couch as Gordon trudges over to a nearby shelf, grabbing the movie case and popping the disc into the dvd player by the tv. In moments, the movie has started, and Joshua is enraptured with the screen. Tommy giggles as Gordon takes a seat, sighing as he tries to tune out the film.

Darnold can’t help but smile at the silliness of it all. He’s not sure how long he’ll be staying with them, seeing as he doesn’t really have a  _ house, _ but he’s certain that he’ll adore every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There'll be at least one more chapter after this! It may be a little bit until it's out, but !! I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter! :]


	4. Chapter 4

It was apparent to all in the Freeman household that Darnold was going to have quite the extended stay. Not that anyone minded; his company was wanted, and he was a lovely guy. Though the sleeping arrangements needed to be sorted out. Gordon had offered, quietly, that Darnold could stay in his room along with Tommy and Benrey, though Darnold bashfully refused. It’s not that he didn’t _want_ to join them, but he thought it might be a little… awkward?

Fortunately, the couch wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was pretty comfortable, and resting on it was rather nice. Though, after the first few nights, Darnold felt his body ache slightly whenever he woke up. Despite its coziness, the sofa was _not_ the best spot for getting a proper 8 hours of sleep. So, when Gordon brought him to the spare room—which had been used as a “storage room” for quite some time—Darnold was surprised to see a rather new-looking bed against the wall, along with a desk and a swivel chair. Gordon had turned the space into a guest room… for him? 

There were even an assortment of shirts hung up in the closet, from sweaters to tank tops, most of which a nice shade of orange. Clothes had been something Darnold had needed since arriving, not really having a wardrobe of his own until now. Gordon had been generous enough to let him wear some of his clothes for the time being, and apparently Tommy and Benrey had gone out shopping to get him some. 

To say he was flattered was a bit of an understatement.

The room was comfortable, and Darnold _loved_ it. It may have been a little barren at first, but Joshua seemed to help with that rather quickly, giving Darnold drawing after drawing, all of which were pinned on the wall. The kid was rambunctious and hyperactive, and Darnold absolutely adored him. They got along pretty well, the young boy often asking Darnold to play games with him and being enamored by the mixologist’s skill. He enjoyed spending time with the kid, having fun together while Gordon got a break for a little bit.

Darnold found that he was really good with children. Especially Joshua.

There was a point in which Darnold had been tinkering with potions in his room. Nothing dangerous, of course—he wouldn’t dream of anything going awry in this house—he had just been messing around with the various flavors. Joshua had walked in on him while he was mixing some of the ingredients, and Darnold could have _sworn_ there were stars in his eyes as he quickly rushed over, excitedly examining the colorful beakers and tubes. That had pretty much sparked an interest in science in Joshua’s head. Or at least, if not science entirely, at least potion making. Darnold even got a little nickname from the kid— _“the wizard”._ _  
_

Tommy liked to help out with potions, too, and Darnold liked his presence. It almost became routine for the two of them to carefully set up the table and desk in Darnold’s room and make way for the various ingredients and glassware.

But it was nice, Tommy helpfully writing things down for him, keeping a bottle steady, prepping one of the samples. He liked it. If things ever got stressful, Tommy was always there to keep him calm. Hell, if there was an experiment that Darnold was stressing over, Tommy would stroll in with some snacks and drinks and reassure him. 

There was one incident in which one of the beakers had slipped out of Darnold’s hand, shattering on the floor rather loudly. He flinched at the sudden sound, clenching his jaw tight. 

And then Tommy came in, lovely as ever, and helped Darnold sit down. Left and came back with a towel and a broom, sweeping up the mess and wiping away any of the potion that had spilled on the floor. Darnold remembers Tommy squeezing his shoulder in a comforting gesture, offering to go watch a movie instead. 

Darnold agreed, and had forgotten the incident by the end of the film.

\--

Benrey wasn’t the best at video games, turns out.

Not to say that he was _bad_ at them, but he certainly wasn’t winning any tournaments. Darnold watched as Benrey dug straight down, _again,_ and fell directly into lava. They made somewhat of a grunting noise, their face scrunched up in annoyance as the few items in their inventory burned away. A low note emitted from them, accompanied by a few dark red orbs of sweet voice. _Crimson means anger,_ Darnold could practically hear Tommy’s translation in the back of his head as he studied Benrey’s behavior.

“You, uh… you okay there?” Darnold asked, after Benrey had slunk down into the couch, pouting. 

They peered up at him from under their helmet, dropping the controller on their chest and instead inspecting their fingers. “...’s bullshit, man. not tryna play a game only to die over n over. shit’s annoying.”

Darnold almost wanted to tell them that their technique was probably part of the reason they kept dying. Almost. But knowing Benrey, from the time he had gotten to know them, they’d probably get moodier and stubborn about it. So, he decided to take a different approach.

With a hand gently going over Benrey’s, Darnold looked them in the eyes and asked, “Can I suggest something to help?" Benrey seemed to freeze up for a moment, his face going slightly pink at the soft touch, before nodding and picking up the controller again.

Darnold carefully guided Benrey’s hands on the controller, “See, what you wanna do is dig _two_ holes, and stand on one block while mining the other,” he demonstrates while he speaks, taking a mental note of how Benrey’s eyes dart back and forth between their hands and the tv screen. “And _then_ if you find a cave or lava, you’ll have a chance to prepare.”

Benrey responds with a quiet _“...thank you”_ and picks up where Darnold left off, repeating what he’d been shown. After a few minutes, Benrey’s demeanor went from tense to relaxed as he comfortably leaned against the other man. Darnold’s face felt pleasantly warm at the closeness, and he reflexively pulled his hands away from Benrey’s as he realized they were still there. 

“noo…” Benrey caught his sleeve and pulled his hands back over their own, averting his gaze and blushing slightly. “...’s comfy, bro. uh. real nice.”

Darnold pauses for a moment, eventually easing into the contact and leaning his head against Benrey’s shoulder. It was nice, why not enjoy it? Benrey seemed a little surprised for a moment, before shaking themself out of their thoughts and gazing back towards the screen. It was cute. They’re cute.

_Ah shit, Darnold, you’re really in it now._

\--

One night, Darnold found himself in his room, laptop in front of him as he mindlessly scrolled through his social media. The only noise he could hear was the harsh rain from outside, hitting his window harshly. He chewed his bottom lip anxiously as he remembered Tommy and Benrey had driven off with Joshua, to drop him off at his uncle’s house while Gordon got the kid’s birthday party set up for the next day. He hoped they were doing okay—which he knew they were, Tommy’s not a reckless driver and Benrey would protect them with his life—as he stretched in his chair.

Suddenly, a large _boom_ of thunder occurred, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning, and the light’s in Darnold’s room went out. He blinked for a moment, “...Huh. Somethin’ must’ve hit a power line-” he would’ve continued, if it weren’t for the sound of glass shattering and a faint _thud._ He was on his feet in seconds, quickly turning on his phone’s flashlight as he threw his door open.

“...Gordon?” he called out, a little nervously. Carefully making his way down the hall, he approached the kitchen, where he spotted Gordon on the floor, curled up and shaking like a leaf. He had an iron grip on his right wrist, right where his prosthetic met his stump. Darnold managed to put two and two together pretty quickly, taking a cautious step forward, stepping around what looked like a broken plate on the ground.

Gordon’s breath hitched and he curled in on himself even more the closer Darnold got, causing the man to stop. He sobbed on the floor, mumbling out _"nonononono please not again, not again i can't do this again.”_

Crouching down carefully, Darnold spoke up. “Gordon. Gordon, it’s Darnold, i-it’s okay…” He watches as Gordon peeks up at him slowly, showing just how much _terror_ is in his eyes. Darnold’s heart aches for him. “...It’s okay. I’m here.”

Gordon sniffles, opening his mouth to say something but biting his lip down instead, holding back a sob. He extends his arms out, and Gordon wastes no time in clinging onto him like his life depended on it. Darnold sits with him, rocking back and forth and rubbing his back as he lets it out. 

After an undetermined amount of time on the floor, Darnold pulls back, much to the slight dismay of Gordon. “I’m gonna... sweep up the plate, okay? Do you wanna hold my phone for me?” he asks, knowing fully well Gordon would agree. After the mess is picked up, Darnold extends his hand out to Gordon and helps him up, slinging the other man’s arm over his shoulder to support him. “Here, I’m- I’m gonna help you to your room.”

They make their way to the room, and Gordon flops onto his bed almost immediately, exhausted. Darnold lingers by the bedside, unsure of what to say, but when he turns to leave, Gordon grabs his sleeve. Meeting the mixologist’s eyes, Gordon speaks softly.

“Can… Can you stay with me?” He asks, voice slightly hoarse. "I can't- I don't wanna be alone right now." he looks away, face red with embarrassment. 

Darnold smiles at him, nodding and taking his hand as he sits himself down on the edge of the bed, stroking Gordon's hair comfortingly. 

He doesn't remember when he fell asleep next to Gordon, fingers locked together with the other man. But neither of them seemed to mind when they woke up the next morning. Benrey and Tommy had presumably returned home rather late, joining in the bed on the other side of Gordon.

Darnold sat up slightly and looked across the three of them, from Gordon who was drowsily rubbing his eyes, to Benrey and Tommy, who were snoring softly as they slept in one another’s arms. He looked back to Gordon, who was staring at him with tired, but happy, eyes. Darnold couldn’t find anything to say, so instead he settled his head back against the pillow, not breaking his gaze with the other man. 

_Go for it,_ a little voice in the back of his head whispered.

Slowly and carefully, Darnold brought his hand up to cup the side of Gordon’s face, gently stroking his thumb against his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut at the touch, a content sigh passing through his lips as he brought his own hand up to cover Darnold’s. 

“Hey” He spoke quietly, opening his eyes once more.

Darnold swallowed the lump in his throat. “Uh… hey.” he whispered back. The bed creaked slightly as Gordon scooted nearer to Darnold, using his other arm to pull the man closer to himself. The mixologist let out what could be considered a _squeak_ at the sudden movement, and his face burned with embarrassment. Gordon chuckled softly, turning his head so he could nuzzle into Darnold’s hand, never breaking eye contact.

“Is this okay?” He asked, leaning in close ever-so-slightly, “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, y’know?”

Darnold breathed in before responding, “Yes. God, I- Gordon…” He let a sheepish smile spread across his face, tilting his head forward and touching his forehead against Gordon’s. “I’m- I’ll be honest… It’s taken everything in my power to not lean forwards and kiss you right now.” His face felt like it was on fire as he admitted it; he’d become a human furnace.

Gordon seemed to mirror him for a moment, surprised, before he began giggling, moving his arms to wrap around Darnold’s neck. Darnold took his other hand to place against Gordon’s other cheek, grinning from ear to ear. 

He pulled the man close, lips meeting in a soft, tender kiss. It was slow, comfortable; Everything Darnold could have dreamed of. 

“aw bro what… i wanted to get kissed first.”

Well. Maybe not that bit. 

The two of them very quickly pulled back, though Darnold did with such speed he managed to roll off the bed, hitting the ground with a _thud._

“oh, shit-”

“Oh- Oh no!! Darnold are you g- Are you okay?” Tommy’s voice called from the bed, followed by the rustling of the covers and the creaking of the floorboards. 

Gordon was quickly scrambling out of bed, reaching a hand out “ _Shit,_ man I probably should’ve let you sleep in the middle… You good?”

Darnold blinked up at the three of them, giving himself a moment to process the situation, before breaking into soft laughter, taking Gordon’s hand and pulling himself up. “I- I’m fine! Better than ever, honestly.” His face still felt warm as his eyes met the trio, smiling shyly. “I know y’all have your own, uh, relationship going on, but uh… I kinda fell in love with you. All of you.” He mumbled something quietly after that, just barely picked up by the others. _“If that’s alright…”_

There was a beat of silence that was followed by a chorus of approval from the three. Benrey sang out copious amounts of pink sweet voice, eventually fading into a lovely shade of light blue. Tommy flapped his hands excitedly, nodding and grinning from ear to ear. Gordon was just smiling at him, like this was the happiest he’d ever been in his life. They all just looked so, so happy. 

And they stayed that way, the household living happily as a family of four partners, a rambunctious child, and a huge, immortal dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THATS A WRAP!! sorry this took so long! I got busy and focused on other things! I hope this ended in a way y'all enjoy, I'm not the best when it comes to wrapping things up <:']
> 
> Thank you for reading!! <3


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